Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) are methodologies for delivering data packets containing digital information representing an audio signal generated by a user of a wireless device during a voice call. The wireless device may be capable of wireless communication with one or more access nodes in a wireless network which is in further communication with a network such as the internet. In order to use VoIP or VoLTE, there must be sufficient network resources available within access nodes and network nodes used to transmit the data packets.
One limiting factor regarding availability of network resources is an air interface, which is the wireless communication between the wireless device and the one or more access nodes. A network node in communication with the access node may also determine availability of resources throughout the network, including access network backhaul resources, node processing resources, and core network resources. When a network is congested, there may not be sufficient network resources at any point along the transmission path to transmit voice data packets, and so calls may be blocked, and a user of the wireless device may be frustrated. In addition, if a large number of calls are blocked over time, this may result in significant revenue loss for a network operator.
Overview
Systems and methods are described for improving VoIP and/or VoLTE capacity in a wireless network. A wireless device may initiate persistent communication with an access node that is connected to a network. The access node may determine application requirements for the wireless device, including a data rate for the persistent communication. At some point during the voice call, it may be determined that there are insufficient network resources to satisfy the determined application requirements.
When there are insufficient network resources available to transmit at the determined data rate, data packets between the wireless device and the access node may be converted from a first mode of data transmission to a second mode of data transmission. If available network resources change position relative to the network resources threshold during the voice call, then data packet transmission may be converted back to the first mode of data transmission, continuing to convert as appropriate based on continued monitoring of capacity. The second data mode of data transmission may require less network resources than the first mode of data transmission, and the amount of network resources required may be measured as a total number of data packets or an average or peak data rate for transmission.